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Harrisburg second baseman Ricky Hague, left, cracked a solo home run in the top of the seventh inning Tuesday night as the Senators beat the Richmond Flying Squirrels 3-2 in Game 1 of a doubleheader at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
(Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com)

RICHMOND, Va. – The Harrisburg Senators couldn’t get that one big hit with runners in scoring position during Game 1 of a doubleheader Tuesday night against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, so Ricky Hague found another method of success.

The Harrisburg second baseman cracked a solo home run leading off the seventh inning, and closer Aaron Barrett slammed the door in the bottom of the frame with his 25th save in 29 tries this season as the Sens beat the Flying Squirrels 3-2 at The Diamond.

Despite batting just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base, first-place Harrisburg improved to 68-60 and dropped third-place Richmond (65-63) three games back in the Eastern League’s Western Division standings.

Left-hander Robbie Ray worked five innings, allowing five hits and two runs (both earned) to go along with two walks and five strikeouts. Tyler Herron (5-2) worked the sixth inning to earn the victory and Barrett nailed down the save.

Richmond starter Craig Westcott went five innings and allowed seven hits and two runs, but both were unearned.

The Sens grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Justin Bloxom’s run-scoring fielder’s choice grounder that plated Billy Burns.

The home team answered back with single runs in the bottom of the first (on Angel Villalona’s double) and in the third (on Villalona’s solo homer).

Harrisburg pulled even at 2-2 in the fourth on Brian Goodwin’s two-out RBI single, his team’s only hit with a man in scoring position all night. Goodwin’s knock snapped an 0-for-14 funk since he was activated off the disabled list Friday.

TURNING POINT

Both teams squandered numerous scoring chances and had runners thrown out at home plate. The Flying Squirrels left eight runners on base.

When Bowlin came on in relief to start the top of the seventh, Hague cracked the game’s big blow with his solo home run to left. It came on a 1-1 count, was his first home since July 11 and set the stage for Barrett in the bottom of the inning. He got two quick outs before walking Javier Herrera, but Barrett recovered to pump a called third strike past clean-up hitter Mark Minicozzi to end Game 1 and assure Harrisburg would leave Richmond after Wednesday’s series finale holding down a playoff berth.